Language is a topic that has many implications to our lives. As mentioned in the two pieces; they way we talk can give away or hide who we are. The way we talk can cause people to mistreat us as they believe if we can’t speak proper English as we can see in “Mother Tongue” when the doctors placed less effort into their response to Amy Tan mother’s lost CAT scan when her mom told them to find it vs Amy telling them to find it. I found the “Mother Tongue” piece relatable as my parents don’t speak English as their main language and even though I wasn’t the one speaking for them 99% of the time, I see where Amy Tan is coming from. Both pieces show that language has power over how we’re treated, if you have a more formal, less staggered English- you’ll be treated better compared to someone with staggered English.
The James Baldwin piece was interesting as it questioned the creation of the label of the language Blacks used, calling it Black English. The connection towards racism and the lack of resources towards Blacks in fields such as education leads to longevity of Black English.
